Celestial Eye Goldfish
Carassius auratus var. celestial
The upward-gazing fancy goldfish that trades agility for pure personality.
About
Celestial Eye Goldfish (Carassius auratus var. celestial) are one of the most distinctive and unusual fish in the fancy goldfish world. The defining feature is immediately obvious: the eyes are permanently rotated upward, fixed in a skyward gaze that gives this variety its name. It's a look that hobbyists tend to find either charming or unsettling, and rarely anything in between. Like all fancy goldfish, this is a purely selectively bred form with no wild counterpart, believed to have originated in China before becoming popular in Japan and eventually the West. The celestial body shape is egg-like and compact, without a dorsal fin, which contributes to the fish's slow, almost rolling swimming style. That lack of a dorsal fin and the upward-facing eyes together make this variety genuinely poor at competing for food, navigating obstacles, or avoiding more agile tankmates. For that reason, celestials really do best when kept with their own kind or with other similarly handicapped fancy varieties like bubble eyes. Decorations should be kept smooth and minimal to protect those vulnerable eyes. They're not a difficult fish to keep in terms of water quality demands, but their physical limitations mean you need to think carefully about tank setup and companions, which puts them firmly in intermediate territory.
Similar species
Other fish you might consider
Good tank mates
Species that tend to coexist peacefully with Celestial Eye Goldfish
Frequently asked questions
- How big does the Celestial Eye Goldfish get?
- The Celestial Eye Goldfish reaches about 2–6" as an adult.
- What size tank does the Celestial Eye Goldfish need?
- A minimum of 30 gallons is recommended for the Celestial Eye Goldfish.
- What water parameters does the Celestial Eye Goldfish need?
- The Celestial Eye Goldfish does best with a temperature of 60–72°F, a pH of 6.5–8, hardness around 8–25 dGH.
- Is the Celestial Eye Goldfish aggressive?
- The Celestial Eye Goldfish is generally peaceful and suits a community tank with similarly calm tankmates.
- What does the Celestial Eye Goldfish eat?
- The Celestial Eye Goldfish is an omnivore. It does well on a varied diet of quality flake or pellet plus occasional frozen or live foods.
- How long does the Celestial Eye Goldfish live?
- With good care, the Celestial Eye Goldfish typically lives 10-20 years.